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I've just scoured my personal network to find that I have pretty decent arms-length contacts with a handful of big law partners at V100 firms in my target locations. The contacts are largely through personal and professional acquaintances of my parents & my fiancee's parents.

Essentially, I know that I can get an email out to these people and they'll respond.

What's the best strategy for maximizing the contact at this point in my 1L year? How could these sorts of contacts help with OCI?

A 1L SA isn't going to happen at these firms. So how can I maximize for OCI?

See if you can take them to coffee or at least get them on the phone, express interest in their firm and tell them you'll be applying to them in the summer/bidding on them at OCI etc., and wait for them to suggest ways they can help. They can usually get you a callback and skip you past the screener, but from there you're more or less on your own.

My dad's v5 partner frat bros ignored his emails when he asked if they could help. I talked to one v5 parent's friend who i thought was senior partner but he had recently quit and the entire conversation was about how reaching the top --harvard, v5, etc. was not even as chill as he thought it would be and that it ruined his life and broke up his family. he helped me with interview practice, but needless to say, did not get me a jerb. then i talked to a less prestigious v10 partner in his less prestigious offices in MFH and he told me, by way of a hand stacking gesture that at a school like my not so prestigious t25 vs. his v10, while my grades are good, they're not great enough to make up for the prestige differential between his firm and my school. That said, I scored a paid 1L summer at a boutique lit firm via a family connection, and i'll be doing an in-house 2L summer program I'm stoked about thanks to more friends/networking stuff. So, the moral of this story is that, you can ask these people for help, but don't bank on shit, especially at the big firms where the hiring process is a little more resistant to nepotism, but absolutely try to talk to them because they might have interesting stories, can help you interview, or might know people at other firms that have more pull in the hiring process. the best way to contact them is via short emails that explain that you're currently in law school, in the process of looking for a jerb, are interested in learning more about different types of practice areas and their firm in particular, and if they may be able to provide any helpful tips. they'll suggest coffee, beer, phone, whatever.

he was fully clothed so I didn't get to see them, but if it helps to paint a picture, his hair was thinning but slightly longer in the back than you'd expect a man of his stature to have --totally gelled back. white shirt, bright blue pants, massive pin stripes.

Anonymous User wrote:he was fully clothed so I didn't get to see them, but if it helps to paint a picture, his hair was thinning but slightly longer in the back than you'd expect a man of his stature to have --totally gelled back. white shirt, bright blue pants, massive pin stripes.

NJPitcher wrote:See if you can take them to coffee or at least get them on the phone, express interest in their firm and tell them you'll be applying to them in the summer/bidding on them at OCI etc., and wait for them to suggest ways they can help. They can usually get you a callback and skip you past the screener, but from there you're more or less on your own.

Don't forget to be appreciative.

Tell them you want to ask about the firm; even though everyone knows you're asking for a job, having the pretext of wanting their advice makes them feel less like a job search tool

And, this:

Anonymous User wrote:Best case scenario is that it allows you to skip OCI and go straight to a callback. Some friends and I pulled this off, but you have to be a viable candidate and not all firms are open to it.

Anonymous User wrote:Best case scenario is that it allows you to skip OCI and go straight to a callback. Some friends and I pulled this off, but you have to be a viable candidate and not all firms are open to it.

Or, more than likely, having had a conversation with someone at the firm will give you a slight boost at OCI when they inevitably ask why you want to work there.

Get in contact early and update them. Ask them for advice about other things instead of only jobs. This will make them feel more like a mentor to you than a tool. Try to have two meetings or phone convo/email with all of them so they know you before you ask them to do something for you during August 2014 when OCI starts.

If you don't have a 1L job lined up, or are choosing btwn a couple of places, you can reach out to your contacts and ask them for their advice for 1L jobs -- pose it as, you're choosing btwn X and Y, and you really want a job that will give you the most preparation for a position at a firm like their firm, etc.

Any more than this, you should do early on in the summer. Scheduling a coffee or informational interview to learn more about their work, or setting up a mock interview, is great for your actual OCI interview. But I think to do any of that now is a little too far removed from your actual interviews.

Contact them soon. Ask about their practice. Ask about the market in that practice and in their geographic region. Ask them what advice they have for you as a 1L. Ask them what they like to see in resumes and what are some successful/unsuccessful interviewing techniques. If you have a practice area you are already leaning toward, ask them about that, and ask them if there is anyone they would recommend you speak to.

Have zero expectation that any of this will directly lead to a job. Think about all of this as big picture work -- seeking advice that you can apply when an actual job opportunity presents itself.